Rising rental insecurity threatens London’s elderly renters

Rising rental insecurity threatens London’s elderly renters

0:02 AM, 26th February 2024, About 7 months ago 1

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London’s ageing population faces eviction risk, warns the Deputy Mayor of London.

According to the think-tank Centre for London, by 2030, there are projected to be over 1.4 million people aged over 65 living in London.

Speaking at the ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators) event Mr Copley said City Hall is looking to support the development of more specialist housing for older people.

Private rented sector is insecure

Tom Copley, deputy mayor of London, said: “More and more people are set to be renting into old age in London. The private rented sector is insecure, meaning there is a risk of more older Londoners being evicted.

Mr Copley adds: “The Renters (Reform) Bill does not go far enough in our view in addressing the insecurity and unaffordability in the private sector”.

According to Inside Housing, research by the Centre for London commissioned by ARCO reveals, that between 2011 and 2021, London experienced an 8% increase in residents aged over 75.

There are currently 500,000 Londoners aged over 75, or 1 in 20: a lower proportion than England as a whole, although this varies highly between inner and outer London boroughs.

Specialist and supported housing

Josh Cottell, head of research at the Centre for London, told Inside Housing magazine that Londoners faced a shorter “healthy life expectancy” than the average across England, while high housing costs mean older people who live alone in the capital have a lower income after paying for housing than the English average.

Mr Copley told attendees that housing delivery “across the board has been increasingly challenging recently, and that’s even more the case for specialist and supported housing”.

He said City Hall had been reviewing the ways in which “both the mayor and the government can support the delivery of more specialist and supported housing”.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) adds they will shortly be publishing a specialist and supported housing vision document.


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Cider Drinker

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12:02 PM, 26th February 2024, About 7 months ago

Tenants getting old isn’t a problem caused by landlords. Nor is it caused by the Private Rental Sector.
Heres a simple yet effective solution. If you can’t afford to live somewhere, move somewhere cheaper.
The Renters (Reform) Bill should not be a catch all for the country’s housing problems. These (housing problems) should be dealt with by robust immigration control and planning.

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